Multimedia Designer/Developer, Academic Information Technologies
Brooklyn College, City University of New York

Sylvie L. F. Richards received her PhD in French and Romance philology from Columbia University. She has held both faculty and administrative posts in her varied career. She served on the French faculty at Penn State-Behrend, the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and Northwest Missouri State University and was department chair at the latter. For 5 years, Richards also served as the director of college relations at Missouri Western State College. Along the way, she became interested in the enhancement of teaching and learning with emerging computer technologies. She received several grants to pursue her interest, including one as a participant in the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) program.

Richards was subsequently hired by Queens College of the City University of New York (CUNY) as associate professor and coordinator of the four-campus Languages Other Than English Consortium. In that position, she trained foreign language faculty in best practices using new digital technologies. She then served as outreach manager for the Columbia University Center for New Media Teaching and Learning before returning to CUNY as multimedia designer/developer for academic information technologies. At Brooklyn College, Richards has developed tools and teaching strategies for faculty. Approximately 20% of Brooklyn faculty members are now working on projects with her. In addition, she has trained both faculty and students in the CUNY-wide Honors College on the best uses of new media technologies for teaching and learning.

Richards has published two textbooks with McGraw-Hill and more than 40 journal articles. She has presented papers at both national and international conferences. She is currently working on two new book projects.